During the thunderstorm and strong winds that buffeted Lafayette the last weekend in July, homeowners in the 200 block of South Ninth Street were safely inside.

A neighborhood cat, however, was stuck in a tree too high for anyone to reach.

Manny, as the long-haired, orange feline is now called, was about 50 feet up in a large tree when his howls for help were noticed the night of July 25.

Manny rests in his temporary home with DD Ryan and Adam Watkins after being rescued.(Photo: Photo provided)

"You could still hear the poor guy through the windows — in the living room, in the bedrooms — and it was an immediate cause for concern in the neighborhood," DD Ryan said. She along with her husband, Adam Watkins, took in Manny once he was out of the tree.

Though Manny alerted the neighborhood to his predicament that Saturday night, little could be done until the morning.

Some people offered to go up, but the trip really required safety equipment.

"There was a lot of research done on how to lure cats down from such great heights," Ryan said.

Several people placed calls to the Lafayette Police Department dispatcher, which also takes calls for the Lafayette Fire Department and Animal Control on weekends, but were told help wasn't going to arrive, Ryan said.

"All of them told her (Ryan) that the cat would eventually come down on its own," Watkins said.

But as Manny continued to refuse to cooperate, Ryan called Alexander Tree Service.

An orange cat was stuck in a tree in front of a home on 9th Street Hill from July 25 - July 28. (Photo: Jen Payne)

Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:

"He was very accommodating, and after so many days of worrying about this, it was nice to hear," Ryan said.

Watkins said the tree service postponed a job to rescue the cat on Monday. After a midmorning assessment, climber Manny Castro went up. Thirty minutes later, four paws were on the ground.

"It was nice to see these people in a caring and human sort of light," Ryan said. "And it was also nice to see this local business come out, obviously, in this situation that most people thought was silly."

With no identification, Ryan and Watkins named the cat after Castro. The cat will be checked for a microchip to make sure no one is missing him.

If all checks out, Manny is being fixed up with one of Ryan's co-workers. She had many offers.

"You've got to appreciate a cat that comes with a good story," Watkins said.